Megan Berenbach is honored to be a part of the BOLD Class 4 program! She started her agriculture career in college at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, where she studied Agribusiness and Marketing. Directly out of college, Megan landed a role as an intern at Mission Produce, Inc. in Ventura, California. Shortly after, she was offered full-time employment, and through her dedication and hard work, she continued to grow at Mission Produce in various roles over the past 15 years. Megan currently serves as the Director of Sales at Mission Produce. She has always had a passion for the avocado industry and loves making connections to help strengthen and grow the category. Megan provides leadership and direction to maximize business results and achieve volume and profit objectives. She is passionate about the avocado category and looks forward to thriving in a team setting for a common goal in this BOLD Class 4.

John Berns is a California avocado producer with over 20 years of experience. He is passionate about growing avocados and continually seeks to learn and implement new farming practices. John graduated from the University of California Riverside and holds a Master's degree in Educational Administration. John currently serves as a director for his Mutual Water Company and as an alternate on the California Avocado Commission. He looks forward to participating in the BOLD 4 Class this year to further his understanding of the Haas avocado industry, meet and learn from American and foreign avocado industry leaders, and further develop his leadership skills.

Enmanuel Carrero is the president of Iguana Coo Fresh Foods in Doral, Florida, and is active in the avocado industry. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida and is an advocate for sustainability and environmental conservation. Enmanuel strives to learn more about the importance of responsible agriculture and the need for fair trade practices. His passion for entrepreneurship and drive for excellence has been pivotal in shaping his professional journey. As a participant in the BOLD Class 4 program, Enmanuel is eager to collaborate with industry trailblazers and visionaries. He is excited to engage with like-minded individuals to further expand his knowledge and contribute to the collective growth of the avocado industry landscape.

Adam Dominguez is the Chief Operating Officer at Total Labor Force, a farm labor contracting company with approximately 500 employees out of Santa Paula. Total Labor Force specializes in the harvest of avocados, citrus, and coffee in California and Hawaii. Adam’s family has been in the agriculture business his entire life. From his grandfather running Limoneira's packing house, to his father starting Total Labor Force, Inc. over twenty years ago, he can’t remember a moment that agriculture hasn’t been a part of his life. In 2008, Adam’s family purchased its first avocado ranch. Since then, he has split his time between running Total Labor Force and helping on his family’s 120 acres of avocados across three properties.

Adam applied to the BOLD 4 Class not only to deepen his understanding of the avocado industry but also to learn how to be an active participant within the industry. With his father’s six years serving on HAB, Adam learned first-hand how impactful being a board member can be. Adam hopes his experience as both a grower and labor contractor will bring a unique perspective and looks forward to rounding out his knowledge of the marketing and importing side of the business.

Dane Dominguez grew up on an avocado farm with his family-owned business in Ventura County. He works as a Senior Associate Consultant at KPMG, a leading global professional services firm, out of the Los Angeles office. With his deep family roots in agriculture, Dane spends his free time driving special projects and operations on two family-owned avocado orchards in Santa Paula, California. Dane earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Southern California. This rigorous educational background prepared him to tackle problems in the boardroom of Fortune 500 companies and to advance the latest cultivation practices and technology in the dynamic avocado industry. Dane looks forward to growing his understanding of the drivers of the global avocado industry to create value and growth for all stakeholders. He is excited to apply his critical thinking and executive communication experience to help make him an asset to the BOLD Class 4.

Carlos Duarte serves as Regional Sales Account Manager at Calavo Growers, Inc., in Santa Paula, California, where he manages key retail and food service accounts nationwide. Carlos began his career in produce 14 years ago with Calavo after leaving the mortgage business for a more stable industry. In his first two years, Carlos took on many different roles, giving him a holistic view before settling into sales in 2012. Since then, he has worked with many aspects of avocado sales, from national retail and food service chains to independent grocers and wholesalers. Carlos earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at California State University, Northridge, majoring in History with a minor in Anthropology. With a thirst for knowledge and a desire to grow, Carlos seized the opportunity to be part of the HAB BOLD Class 4. His goal is to help build the avocado category to its highest potential in every region in the United States.

Diana Flores is a third-generation avocado grower and second-generation avocado packer from Michoacan, Mexico. She has been indirectly involved in the avocado industry while attending college at the Instituto Tecnologico Estudios Superiores De Monterrey Zapopan, in Jalisco. Since 2018 she was Manager of Operations at Frutas Finas de Tancitaro. Then in 2021, she took a more direct role in administration and sales at Tancitaros Finest Fruit in Pharr, Texas, as a General Manager. Diana is very involved in leadership positions in the family business and sees great opportunities in joining the BOLD 4 Class. She is excited to learn more about the avocado industry, expand networking, and to be a part of developing more women in leadership in the avocado industry.

Galen currently holds the position of Senior Director of Sales for Foodservice and Wholesale at Mission Produce, Inc., based in Oxnard, California. In this role, he develops sales strategies to drive new customer growth and leads a team of sales personnel working with senior leadership to develop new talent. Galen is extremely passionate about the fresh produce industry, having worked for fifteen years in sales and business development roles. Galen graduated from Northwestern University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Spanish. After graduation, he joined FreshPoint, Inc., a subsidiary of Sysco, servicing regional and national food service customers. Galen further developed his career with Coastal Sunbelt Produce, supporting restaurants, independent retailers, hotels, schools, and food banks. He is a strong proponent of the development of future leaders of the avocado industry and is grateful for all the relationships he has developed throughout his career. He is incredibly proud to be part of this great BOLD program.

Ryan Larkan spent his early years in the industry chasing the avocado harvest throughout South America, Africa, Israel, and Europe while supporting international sourcing programs at Westfalia, United Kingdom. In this role of operations, Ryan worked in a technical capacity in supplier development and assisted in the implementation of their state-of-the-art ripening capability. His career moved him into the retail sector as the North American hub manager for an international retailer, which brought him to the United States. Soon, however, the lure of avocados was too strong, and he was back at Westfalia to help set up their office in the United States. As the Director of Operations and Food Safety, at Westfalia Fruit Marketing USA, Ryan is responsible for packhouses and repack facilities, all health and safety, customer compliance, and sustainability. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture (Horticulture, Sub Tropical Fruit) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and hopes to bring his international experience to the HAB BOLD 4 Class program while learning from the other members' unique perspectives and industry experience.

Saul Medina is the Executive Director at GLC Cerritos. He has had the good fortune to be involved with the avocado industry his whole life, first in Michoacán and now in Jalisco. GLC Cerritos is dedicated to the production, export, and import of avocados, primarily from Jalisco. Sustainability and social responsibility are the two most important pillars in the Medina family, which has made our company’s mission: 'Inspiring the agroindustry with sustainability.' All their avocado orchards are certified by Fairtrade, Global GAP, and Rainforest Alliance, producing healthy and sustainable fruit for the world.

Saul hopes to learn a lot from the BOLD Program. 'I'm excited to meet new industry leaders and continue the legacy of Mexican avocados in the US market and beyond,' he said.

Jean Claude Mercier is the CEO of Fruglobe SAC in Lima, Peru. He graduated from Ryerson University in Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. In his current role as CEO, Jean Claude oversees the operations and planning of avocado orchards, setting commercial plans for the year and driving profitability. About four years ago, he started investing in small projects in Colpa, Peru, helping small-scale avocado growers increase the size, yield, and quality of avocados. As a producer, Jean Claude understands the costs and efforts involved in growing a crop. He is proud to be part of BOLD Class 4 and looks forward to asking questions and learning more about how to grow this exciting industry.

Katelynn Molchan currently serves as a Senior Manager Category Sales for Avocados at Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A, based out of New Jersey where she is responsible for all things avocado in the North Region. With nearly 18 years in the fresh produce industry, she initially focused on bananas and pineapple before transitioning to avocados at Del Monte almost three years ago. Armed with a background in sales and marketing, Katelynn eagerly anticipates being part of such a prestigious program, BOLD Class 4, with boundless growth opportunities. She aims to gain a deeper understanding of the industry landscape, foster new connections, and seize opportunities to leave a meaningful imprint on the industry.

Andrew Prechtl is the Asset Manager at Simpatica, a leading commercial avocado grower and farm manager based in Ventura County, California. Graduating from the University of Southern California with degrees in accounting and business administration, Andrew launched his career in public accounting at Ernst & Young. In helping develop his family’s avocado farm in Carpinteria, California, Andrew has combined his passion for land and agriculture with his background in business finance to grow Simpatica and promote California agriculture. He appreciates the Hass Avocado Board for the opportunity to participate in BOLD’s Class 4 and is looking forward to working with an incredibly diverse group of industry experts to elevate the avocado space.

Angel Sanudo has worked as a Sales Manager at RV Aguacates for five years. He graduated from Universidad Panamerica in Mexico City, Mexico with a Master's degree in Business Administration. In his current role, Angel manages sales involving key accounts, establishes customer relationships, handles day-to-day sales, and provides post-sale service while overseeing logistics.

Angel desires to share, learn, and acquire new knowledge and skills as a participant of the BOLD Class 4 program. He is especially looking forward to meeting classmates from various backgrounds, origins, and different areas of expertise. Angel is proud to be a part of the BOLD Class 4 program, which shares a common passion for avocados and is dedicated to making a positive impact for both growers and importers. He plans to take the knowledge he learns from the BOLD program to assist him in building business decisions that are aligned with what is best for the industry and avocado growers.